Friday, December 27, 2013
Lydia Umutoniwase fixes her gaze on a
as she prepares to thread a needle. She is deep in concentration,
despite the chatter of women and whir of other machines surrounding her.
To her left is a pile of colourful scarves freshly pressed and ready
for sale. Lydia, 19, is one of the more than two dozen young
who form the Maisha Collective. The group makes and sells tie-dyed
textiles and scarves, allowing the members to learn a trade and earn an
income.
"Maisha" means "" in Kiswahili, and Lydia says for the members it has indeed opened the door to a new existence in a new country.
"When
I was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I didn't have hope. But
now, my life has changed," she says softly in halting English, but with a
wide smile.
The scarves are sold at craft fairs and
stores in Nairobi and online. Since the collective began in 2009, it has
sold thousands of scarves -- to people who live as far away as Canada,
the United States and Europe. What the buyers do not see are the proud
faces of the young -- all refugees who arrived in Kenya as children or on their own and are now able to pay their own rent and put food on the table.
"What's
happened with Maisha is that they can take care of themselves, instead
of people doing things for them," says Hamdi Ali Abdi, the collective's . "They become more confident."
The
group is run by Heshima Kenya, a nonprofit organization that provides
education, vocational training, a safe house and other services to
refugee children and adolescent girls who arrive in Kenya alone from
countries such as Rwanda, and Somalia.
Many have been
raped by militias or by husbands in forced marriages; some arrive with
children. The UN refugee agency works with non-government agencies like
Heshima Kenya to help women and girls re-establish their lives and gain
their independence. Empowering refugee women is one of UNHCR's Global
Strategic Priorities.
"With the Maisha Collective, now I know how to sew, I can tie-dye... now I see I have a future, like others," says Lydia.
Dahabo
Maow, a Somalia refugee, was the power behind the collective. She fled
Somalia after fighting broke out in her town and joined Heshima in
Nairobi.
"She had her leg amputated and she felt she was
hopeless in life," says Alice Eshuchi, Heshima's Senior Program
Manager. "Feeling that hopeless, she did not want to even learn how to
read or write. She had lost her parents. She went to Kakuma refugee
camp, where she was mistreated, and she could not receive the services
that she required due to her disability. So when she came to Heshima,
the management realized that she had an ability to learn a skill. So we
enrolled her in training for tailoring and tie-dye."
Dahabo began teaching the other young women at Heshima how to sew and tie-dye. Soon after, the Maisha Collective was formed.
"They
are building their leadership skills," Alice says. "The girls actually
empower the others by teaching them what they know."
The
members of the collective receive 8,000 Kenyan shillings (US$100) each
month, as well as valuable lessons on budgeting so they can prepare for
the future. But they also receive much more than money.
"They
form a family connection," says Hamdi. "They feel that they are all
connected somehow. They all sit around and start doing the tasseling and
they will talk. It's easier than counseling."
Hamdi
says they might not open up to her, "but when they're all sitting down
and a girl is talking about losing her father, or being raped, the
others can relate. They all open up, they all talk."
Lydia
lost her parents, brothers and sisters as she fled Congo two years ago -
and to this day does not know whether they are dead or alive. The
Maisha Collective has become her new community, her hope and her new
life.
"I found other girls who have many problems like me," Lydia says. "I am so happy I found them. We are like sisters."
By Shirley Camia in Nairobi, Kenya